Isolated polynucleotides encoding a MAP65 polypeptide and methods of using same for increasing plant yield

Abstract

Provided are methods of increasing yield, biomass, growth rate, vigor, and/or abiotic stress tolerance of a plant by expressing within the plant an exogenous polynucleotide comprising a nucleic acid sequence at least 80% identical to SEQ ID NO: 27 or 868; or an exogenous polynucleotide encoding a polypeptide at least 80% identical to SEQ ID NO: 132 (MAP65 from Arabidopsis).

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method of increasing a trait of a plant under non-stress growth conditions as compared to a non-transformed plant which is grown under the same growth conditions, the trait is selected from the group consisting of: rosette diameter, growth rate of plot coverage, growth rate of rosette diameter, growth rate of rosette area, and growth rate of leaf blade area, the method comprising:
 (a) expressing within the plant an exogenous polynucleotide comprising a nucleic acid sequence encoding the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO: 132, and 
 (b) selecting plants resulting from step (a) for an increased rosette diameter, growth rate of plot coverage, growth rate of rosette diameter, growth rate of rosette area, and/or growth rate of leaf blade area under non-stress growth conditions as compared to a non-transformed plant which is grown under the same growth conditions, 
 thereby increasing the trait of the plant under the non-stress growth conditions. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein said nucleic acid sequence is set forth in SEQ ID NO: 27 or 868. 
     
     
       3. A method of selecting a plant having increased rosette diameter, growth rate of plot coverage, growth rate of rosette diameter, growth rate of rosette area, and/or growth rate of leaf blade area under non-stress growth conditions as compared to a non-transformed plant which is grown under the same growth conditions, the method comprising:
 (a) providing plants transformed with an exogenous polynucleotide encoding the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO: 132, 
 (b) selecting said plants for increased rosette diameter, growth rate of plot coverage, growth rate of rosette diameter, growth rate of rosette area, and/or growth rate of leaf blade area under non-stress growth conditions as compared to a non-transformed plant which is grown under the same growth condition, and 
 (c) growing a crop of said plant transformed with said exogenous Polynucleotide, 
 thereby selecting the plant having increased rosette diameter, growth rate of plot coverage, growth rate of rosette diameter, growth rate of rosette area, and/or growth rate of leaf blade area under the non-stress growth conditions as compared to the non-transformed plant which is grown under the same growth conditions. 
 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 3 , wherein said growing comprises seeding seeds and/or planting plantlets of said plant transformed with said exogenous polynucleotide. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1 , wherein said trait is rosette diameter. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1 , wherein said trait is growth rate of rosette diameter. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 1 , wherein said trait is growth rate of plot coverage. 
     
     
       8. A method of generating a transgenic plant, comprising:
 (a) expressing within the plant an exogenous polynucleotide comprising a nucleic acid sequence encoding the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO: 132, and 
 (b) selecting plants resulting from step (a) for an increased trait selected from the group consisting of: rosette diameter, growth rate of plot coverage, growth rate of rosette diameter, growth rate of rosette area, and growth rate of leaf blade area under non-stress growth conditions as compared to a non-transformed plant which is grown under the same growth conditions, 
 thereby generating the transgenic plant. 
 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 8 , wherein said nucleic acid sequence is set forth in SEQ ID NO: 27 or 868. 
     
     
       10. A method of producing a crop comprising:
 (a) selecting a parent plant transformed with an exogenous polynucleotide encoding the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO: 132 for an increased trait selected from the group consisting of: rosette diameter, growth rate of plot coverage, growth rate of rosette diameter, growth rate of rosette area, and growth rate of leaf blade under non-stress growth conditions as compared to a non-transformed plant which is grown under the same growth conditions; 
 (b) collecting seeds of the parent plant selected in (a); and 
 (c) growing a progeny crop plant of said parent plant, wherein said progeny crop plant comprises said exogenous polynucleotide and has said increased rosette diameter, said increased growth rate of plot coverage, said increased growth rate of rosette diameter, said increased growth rate of rosette area, or said increased growth rate of leaf blade, 
 thereby producing the crop. 
 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 10 , wherein said nucleic acid sequence is set forth in SEQ ID NO: 27 or 868. 
     
     
       12. A method of producing seeds of a crop comprising:
 (a) selecting a parent plant transformed with an exogenous polynucleotide encoding the polypeptide set forth in SEQ ID NO: 132 for an increased trait selected from the group consisting of: rosette diameter, growth rate of plot coverage, growth rate of rosette diameter, growth rate of rosette area, and growth rate of leaf blade under non-stress growth conditions as compared to a non-transformed plant which is grown under the same growth conditions, 
 (b) collecting seeds of the parent plant selected in (a); 
 (c) growing a seed producing crop plant from the seeds resultant of step (b), wherein said seed producing crop plant comprises said exogenous polynucleotide and has said increased rosette diameter, said increased growth rate of plot coverage, said increased growth rate of rosette diameter, said increased growth rate of rosette area, or said increased growth rate of leaf blade, and 
 (d) producing seeds from said seed producing crop plant resultant of step (c), thereby producing seeds of the crop, wherein said seeds produced from the seed producing crop plant comprise said exogenous polynucleotide. 
 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 12 , wherein said nucleic acid sequence is set forth in SEQ ID NO: 27 or 868.